Celebration of Diversity Weekend

Attend a Celebration of Diversity Weekend for a Preview of Life on Campus

Celebration of Diversity Weekends are an opportunity to experience the diverse community, academic, extracurricular and cultural facets of both the campus and Pittsburgh. On Saturday evening, you’ll be matched with a current student who will be your Overnight Ambassador throughout the weekend. As part of the Celebration of Diversity Weekend, you’ll have the chance to:

Attend a networking reception with faculty and staff

Meet current students

Attend classes

Stay overnight in a residence hall

Tour campus

Eat in the dining facilities

Dates & Fees

November 8-10, 2014

Open to all prospective high school seniorsRegistration closed.

January 24-26, 2015 (Please note this date has changed!)

Open to students who have applied for admission to Carnegie Mellon. Register now!

The cost of the overnight weekend is $50* per student and should be paid online within three days of registering**. The fee covers the cost of on-campus meals and a Carnegie Mellon t-shirt.

*Fee waivers are available on a limited basis. If you believe you qualify, please contact our office and ask to speak with the Celebration of Diversity Coordinator within 24 hours of registering.

**To receive a cancellation refund, notify the Celebration of Diversity Coordinator by the Monday prior to the event.

Weekend Events

All registered students will receive a finalized schedule with event locations at the time of check-in. Overnight visits are only available on Saturday and Sunday nights.

Monday (in conjunction with Sleeping Bag Weekend)

Admission Interviews

During the weekend, one-on-one interviews with our admission counselors are available, though not required. Interviews will take place on Sunday afternoon and you’ll be notified of your interview time at registration.

Fine Arts Participants

Applicants to the Schools of Architecture, Art, Design, Drama or Music, who plan to audition or attend a portfolio review during a Sleeping Bag Weekend, should register for your artistic evaluation as soon as possible after October 1st.

Travel Assistance

Travel assistance may be available for students with financial need who have at least a 3.3 GPA on an unweighted 4.0 scale and a combined SAT score of 1800 or ACT score of 27. If you believe you qualify for travel assistance, please indicate so when registering. A Celebration of Diversity Coordinator will follow up with you regarding the possibility of travel assistance. Additional stipulations for travel assistance include:

You must live more than 200 miles from campus (only for students living in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico).

Travel and Accommodations

If your parents plan on spending the night in Pittsburgh or you plan to extend your visit, visit our travel and accommodations information for local hotels recommendations and be sure to ask for Carnegie Mellon's special rates. Most of these hotels provide complimentary shuttle service to and from campus.

You can also find directions to campus and information about the 28X Airport Flyer Bus on the travel and accommodations page.

Overnight hosting is only available on Saturday and Sunday night of Celebration of Weekends. Overnight accommodations aren’t available for parents of participants.

Especially for Parents and Counselors

Celebration of Diversity weekends are designed to be informative to students, parents and counselors. Please keep in mind that this is a true-to-life college experience so that your student can see if Carnegie Mellon is a good fit academically and socially.

Throughout the weekend, parents and counselors follow the same schedule of events as the students. On Monday, parents and counselors can also attend a complimentary continental breakfast, classes and a parent session on campus life. Counselors interested in attending should call 412-268-2082 to make arrangements with a Celebration of Diversity Coordinator

Emergency Hotline

Beginning Saturday at the time of registration and lasting until Monday at 5 p.m., a 24-hour hotline will be activated for parents and visiting students. This hotline will provide parents and students with a direct connection to an Office of Admission representative at any time during your visit.

Identification Bracelets

Your son/daughter will be required to wear a visitor bracelet at all times while on campus. This bracelet identifies your child as an official visitor to the campus. All university shuttles, escorts and security services granted to current Carnegie Mellon students will be available to your child as well.

Trolley Tour of Pittsburgh

The Office of Admission will provide parents with a trolley tour of Pittsburgh. The tour takes place Sunday night from 5:00-6:45 p.m. Registration will take place on Sunday and space is limited. In order to reserve a spot, your child MUST be registered and present on Sunday.

Recreational clothing so you can take advantage of our athletic facilities

Notebook and pen/pencil to take notes on your experiences

There’ll be luggage rooms set up on both Sunday and Monday, so you won't need to lug your stuff around with you all day. Remember, it's important to bring your things with you when you leave your Overnight Ambassador's room on Monday morning in case you aren't able to meet up with him/her again before you leave campus.

Who will I stay with?

You’ll be staying with a current Carnegie Mellon student in a traditional residence hall or apartment–style suite. We try to match participants with a student majoring in the same intended field, though sometimes we aren't able to find an exact match. If the current student is not majoring in the field you're interested in, chances are he/she knows someone who is.

What’s the role of my Overnight Ambassador?

During your evening on campus, your ambassador will open his/her room to you. This is meant to give you an accurate idea of student life at Carnegie Mellon. It is important to note that these students may be busy with their own coursework and other activities, and therefore may not have as much free time as they would like to spend with you. In this case, we encourage you to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to get to know other prospective students and explore the campus with them, as there is always a myriad of activities available.

What are the residence halls like?

There are a variety of housing options available in our 20 different residential communities. Check out the Housing Services website for more information on campus housing.

What activities will be available in the evening?

You’ll have an opportunity to truly experience what life is like for a Carnegie Mellon student as all of our facilities will be available to you. Many students enjoy the $1.00 movie Sunday night, the athletic facilities located in the University Center, art exhibitions at the Frame Gallery and much more.

What’s the food like?

Dining at Carnegie Mellon is unique in that we don’t have a central dining hall. Instead, we have a food court approach to meals and venues are placed across our campus, in academic buildings, residence halls and the University Center. A wide variety of dining options are available including Indian, sushi, Mexican, Italian and vegetarian/vegan. As an overnight visitor, you’ll be provided with a dining card that’ll grant you access to our eateries during your stay.

When should I arrive on-campus and when is the weekend over?

Registration for the weekend will take place on Saturday between noon and 3 p.m. in the University Center. Click here for a campus map. Welcoming remarks will begin promptly at 2:30 p.m. Monday’s events and classes typically end by 4 p.m.

Please be advised that prospective and university students may be photographed randomly while in the university's common areas either by the university's photographer or third party individuals who may or may not be affiliated with the university. Photographs taken by the university's photographer may be published in marketing or other university materials. The university shall not be liable for any damages or costs whatsoever alleged by any student or third party relating to any photographs taken and/or published.